Hamas and the Lies Westerners Tell Ourselves
20th October 2023
Will the wishful thinking of Westerners never cease?
In point of fact, 57% of Gazans in a recent poll expressed at least a somewhat positive view of Hamas. In 2021, in the wake of armed conflict between Hamas and Israel, 53% of Palestinians affirmed that Hamas is “most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people.”
The U.S. president is telling himself something that he wants to believe, and that he wants others to believe. We have been here before. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush beclowned himself by insisting in public statements that “Islam means peace.” His motive—to head off bigotry against Muslims—was laudable, but it was a therapeutic lie.